Wheels in motion for Leeds park and ride

Transport bosses in Leeds have signed a £9m funding agreement for a new 1,000-space park and ride at Temple Green.

The scheme - which is expected to open in November this year - is part of Leeds City Council’s wider vision to improve its under-pressure public transport network.

It will be part of a raft of measures aimed at improving the efficiency of the transport system in Leeds, as well as - it is hoped - reducing congestion and transport emissions in the city centre.

It is also hoped the scheme will be a catalyst for other “breakthrough projects” and of “rethinking the city centre”.

The original proposal for the park and ride was approved in July 2015 by the council’s Executive Board, subject to funding approval from West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s transport fund.

And now, an agreement between the combined authority and city development chiefs has brought “certainty” to the project.

A newly approved council report says: “Leeds City Council and West Yorkshire Combined Authority are working together to introduce a new Park and Ride site in the Aire Valley adjacent to the A63 Pontefract Lane.

“This follows the recent success of the Elland Road Park and Ride site opened June 2014,where significant numbers of commuter, shopping and recreational trips to Leeds City Centre have been made along with those at rail stations.

“This scheme fits with the... aims to promote sustainable and inclusive economic growth by improving the efficiency of the transport system in Leeds.”

It is hoped the park and ride will provide easy access from the M1 junction 45, and that it will be a catalyst for growth in the Leeds City Region Enterprise Zone, which could create up to 7,000 new jobs.

The hi-tech facilities on the site will include a departure lounge and features like electric vehicle charging points.”